NFL lockout – 49ers would benefit from a quick resolution

So what’s the best case scenario for the 49ers as the lockout appears headed for a close? To get the deal done as quickly as possible. If players vote to drop their anti-trust lawsuit and re-certify their union by Wednesday, the owners could ratify the agreement by the weekend. It means the lockout could end by Monday. That would allow teams a three-day period to sign their own free agents.

Possibly more importantly for the 49ers, the three-day period could be used by signed players to get cram sessions with coaches before training camp opens, which for the 49ers would be July 28. That grace period would also allow for Jim Harbaugh to speak with Alex Smith about what he installed during the two minicamps he sponsored during the off-season.

In the second Camp Alex, Smith videotaped the practices; Smith said Tuesday at San Jose State he has yet to send the tapes to the 49ers coaching staff.

Smith believes opening camp on time could be essential for the 49ers in learning new schemes from their new coaching staff.

“It’s a huge deal,” Smith imparted. “I think in my head if we could get a full training camp in, that would be a huge help. Hopefully that gets done. You can get some stuff in the OTA’s but the vast majority of that stuff you get down in training camp and that will help us.”

This Collective Bargaining Agreement is expected to include a curtailment of off-season practices and a limit of one padded practice a day in training camp. Strangely, that move was met with mixed reviews.

“I’ve been doing two-a-days since I was five-years-old,” tackle Joe Staley said. He went on to say that two-a-days do prepare a team for a long season, however, eliminating them could improve player safety.

As an agreement nears and training camp approaches, players may start to wonder how arduous Camp Harbaugh will be. “I really don’t know,” Smith said. “You get ready for the worst.”

Being a workout fiend who demands dedication to the game, Harbaugh may have little patience for players who report out of shape.

“We are all professionals and we understand how important this is,” Smith said. “We all keep ourselves in really good shape.”

NOTE: HBO’s Real Sports will have a segment on John and Jim Harbaugh tonight at 10.